City Livin'

I hope you all have enjoyed reading about my time living in Kampala. Things are still going well as I continue to adjust to life in Uganda. While the city of Kampala definitely has it’s down sides and negative aspects I overall enjoy living here. I wanted to take some time to explain what Kamapla is like as a city. 

Most tour books will tell you Kampala is a city of seven hills and this is very true expect there are a lot more than seven. The hills and the fact that almost no street in the city goes straight for very long makes Kamapla somewhat confusing to navigate. And by somewhat I mean very. I have no idea where I am going. Thankfully the city is packed with very convenient motorcycle taxis known as boda-bodas. Boda drivers generally know their way to all the districts in Kampala so finding a certain place isn’t too hard as long as you take a boda. 

This is a boda.

Many bodas waiting for customers at a boda stage which is just a designated place a few bodas are permanently stationed. Instead of driving around looking for customers they will wait at their stage.

Walking around Kamapla is an option but not a very practical one. I usually only walk about a mile up my street to a small strip mall area that has two grocery stores, a coffee house, a few restaurants, and plenty of people selling fruits, vegetables, and bootleg movies in the parking lot. This is where I normally do my grocery and movie shopping. Down my street the other direction, around the corner, and down another street are two malls (yes, there are two malls located right next to each other). The malls host a variety of shops and both have one large grocery store. I usually only go to the mall to use the ATM because anything you can get in the mall you can get elsewhere for cheaper. 

Downtown-ish

There is a city center or downtown area that hosts many tall office and government buildings. Most embassies are also situated in the downtown area. Downtown and throughout the greater Kampala area there are endless strip malls for lack of a better word. Every street you drive down in the city will have stores on top of stores on top of stores…literally. A few streets will only have stores that offer certain products like electronics. If you need any electronic device all you have to do is go to Kampala Road where you will find a plethora of shops offering the exact same products. When I was searching for a camera battery I just got dropped off on Kampala Road went into the first shop I saw that was advertising cameras and asked if they had the specific battery I needed. If they didn’t I simply walked out the door and went right into the shop next door. I went to maybe 8 different stores and a few of the stores had was I was looking for but I was on the search for the best price. I could have gone into 60 stores if I wanted but I eventually found what I needed and at the right price. I actually ended up going to Kampala Road twice because I like to survey my options, gather the information, and then return later because making a decision at the store is too much pressure. At least I know I’m getting the best deal when I do this even if it takes me two days to buy a camera battery.

This describes Kampala so well - please keep our city clean by not littering and throwing your trash away in this non-existent trash can. Thanks!

Can't wait to celebrate 50 years this October!

So there is the electronic district (I just made that up), the fabric district (I’m pretty sure that is what people actually call that area), the Ethiopian restaurant district, the mall district, and many more of these types of areas that I have yet to discover. To me it seems odd that the same types of stores would gather in the same region but that’s Kampala. 

When you aren’t in one of the above mentioned areas you will mainly see informal used clothing shops, small restaurants, food stands, internet cafes, some very questionable hotels, inns, and hostels, bars, convenient stores, the occasional large grocery store, many buildings that you have no clue what purpose they serve, and oh so much more. However, if you are new in Kampala (or even if you aren’t) chances are you aren’t looking at your surroundings because you are too distracted by the traffic which your boda driver will inevitably be trying to bob and weave through. This process usually includes methods like driving on the sidewalk, the grass, and in the really really too small places between cars. (Don’t worry Mom, I only use the safest bodas in Kampala and you are never travelling fast when doing this.) But, I can guarantee you will get to your destination before the people in the cars and buses. Check out the video below that I took while riding on a boda. The song in the video is really quite appropriate because it will be either this song or some other loud and obnoxious American or Ugandan pop song that accompanies you on your ride through the city via the shops on the side of the road. Noise pollution does not exist in Kampala. It appears that it is completely appropriate to play music or a recording of someone preaching as loud as possible at all times of the day and night. There are even cars that serve the sole purpose of driving down the street blaring music and advertising one thing or another. Quiet time is hard to find just because it is never really quiet. Unfortunately I cannot get the video to load. The internet probably isn't fast enough. I will try again and add it to the blog if it works later. 

In the middle of the city are the two taxi parks which are constantly crazy busy. There is old taxi park and new taxi park and I have yet to figure out which is which. Taxis in Uganda are not what you are thinking. Picture a traditional white cargo van and add some beat up old seats and windows and you’ve got yourself a taxi. I have yet to take a taxi here because I don’t understand how to tell where they are going. Sometimes there is a guy leaning out the window yelling the name of the destination but I usually don’t know what he is saying. Taxis are the third cheapest method of transportation right behind large buses (buses here are the same as in the U.S) and walking. Bodas are cheap by U.S. standards but a semi-luxury to many Ugandans. They do have what American’s consider taxis in Uganda. They are referred to as special hires and are the most expensive mode of transportation. 

Ugandan style taxi - that guy is the one who will yell out the name of the area the taxi is headed toward.

Along with all the sights I have already mentioned your nose will be assaulted with various smells during your time in Kampala. The two main smells are burning trash and exhaust. Neither are pleasant but you either get used to them or learn not to breathe when behind a large bus. For the other smells well you’ll just have to come visit me and experience them first hand. 

Kampala is very much a hustling and bustling city full of people, noises, smells, and its’ own kind of charm. While it is a very complicated city to navigate I am confident I will know my way around within a few months. Just as moving to any big city in the U.S. it takes time to adjust and learn the ropes, and I think that is half the adventure. Hopefully my descriptions, pictures, and video help you understand what Kampala is like and what to expect during your upcoming visit ;).


P.S. I wrote this blog a few days ago and since then I have discovered the stationary district! Paper needs? Head to Kampala's stationary district!